Washington Business Fall 2017 | Legislative Review & Vote Record | Page 9

washington business
“Despite this historically wet winter, there is a huge political fight
underway about the scarcity of water.
The state Legislature failed to resolve it before blowing through
its regular session; they are now in overtime. Before lawmakers leave
Olympia for good this year, they must clean up the mess left by an
October state Supreme Court ruling and restart smart development in
Washington’s economically challenged rural counties.
At issue are Washington’s Byzantine water laws. The law tenuously
balances century-old water claims for municipalities and farmers
with tribal rights to fish in healthy rivers. The law grants limited
exemptions for well drilling too.
The Supreme Court ruling knocked that balance askew. In a
decision known as the Hirst ruling, the justices put extra scrutiny on —
and dramatically raised — the price of drilling wells that are exempted
from the water-rights law…
But the economic damage to rural Washington — which lags
extensively behind the superheated central Puget Sound economy —
is too great to ignore. It is also too important to be used as a political
bargaining chip. The Republican-led Senate passed a Hirst fix with
bipartisan support, but the bill was held up in the Democratic-led House.
The Legislature is now back in special session, working to write a
two-year budget which finally fully funds education. The House must
act. Fixing the Hirst ruling is on the must-do list before lawmakers
adjourn for good.”
– The Seattle Times (4)
“By one important measure, the 2017 Legislature is already a failure.
For the second time in three years, budget negotiations have gone
into triple overtime, to the brink of a government shutdown. Without
a budget approved by both houses and signed by the governor, state
government could shut down nonessential functions, starting Friday.”
— The Seattle Times (5)
“It’s all over. Except for the unintended consequences.
With only hours to spare before triggering a partial state
government shutdown and the layoffs of 32,000 state employees, the
Legislature delivered a budget and its resolution of the school funding
crisis to Gov. Jay Inslee for his signature…
The good news is that lawmakers agreed to a budget and avoided a
government shutdown. The bad news is that school districts, teachers,
parents, students and taxpayers had less than 18 hours to understand
what was proposed and no opportunity to be heard before it became law.
That’s unacceptable. And unnecessary. There’s nothing in
the final budget agreement that couldn’t have been arrived at
during the regular session that ended April 23 or even before
the end of the first two 30-day special sessions that followed.”
— The Everett Herald (6)
“Instead of going to the government, make the government come to you.
This is part of the concept behind offering remote testimony
locations to Washington state residents during the upcoming
Legislative session. For those of us living in the eastern part
of the state, driving over the Cascade Mountains to the capital
in Olympia isn’t always possible or practical.
The recent snow storms, bringing poor visibility and icy
roads, have kept people close to home. During session, it is
difficult for some to ta ke time off work to make the trek to
Olympia to participate in state government.
This is why the expansion of a video testimony program in
the Senate is a welcome addition to the government process.
A more diverse cross-section of people have the opportunity
to testify on bills that impact them. Weather and schedules
don’t have to be the final factors with participation. Last
year’s pilot program was successful. During 19 hearings, 44
people gave expert testimony to six Senate committees…
Take the time to testify when remote options are offered
this year. Doing so helps ensure government is better
informed, better balanced and represents the entire state.”
— The Columbia Basin Herald (7)
Sources: (1) ​“While Chris Christie soaks up the sun, Washington state
pols work in shadows,” July 5, 2017; (2) “The Nose: A solution to
lengthy public testimony, plus legislators fighting over lawn mowing,”
April 20, 2017; (3) “Balancing water rights,” May 3, 2017; (4) “Water-
rights ruling leaves rural Washington high and dry,” April 26, 2017;
(5) “Washington lawmakers, this is no way to run a state,” June 27,
2017; (6) “We have a state budget, but at what cost?” July 2, 2017;
(7) “Make use of remote testimony options,” Jan. 5, 2017
special edition 2017
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